1. Get started
2. Prepare your class and complete the survey
- Arrange Internet access
- Review and try the questionnaire
- Have students take measurements
- Watch a video & read the transcript: Episode 3: Preparing the class for the survey
- Talk about it!
- Canada’s census
- security on the Web
- Complete the survey with the students
- Watch a video & read the transcript: Episode 4: Completing the survey with the students
3. Get results immediately
- Get class results
- Watch a video & read the transcript: Episode 5: Getting the class results
- Obtain Canadian and international results
- Watch a video & read the transcript: Episode 14: Getting a random sample from the international site
- Use the learning activities
- Watch a video & read the transcript: Episode 6: Learning activities and Canadian Summary data
- Analyse data using a spreadsheet or analysis software
- Watch videos on using spreadsheet and dynamic data analysis software: Episodes 7-16
4. Useful materials
- Letter to the principal
- Letter to parents or caregivers
- Printable measuring tools
- Privacy/confidentiality
1. Get started
Share information about the project
Inform your principal
Please ask your principal to read the letter to the principal to learn about the project and be able to propose it to other teachers in your school.
Inform parents or caregivers
It’s a good idea to inform parents using the letter to parents or caregivers, but it’s not a formal requirement.
First-time user
Register your classes
Go to Sign in on the Teachers page.
Enter the e-mail address and teacher password you gave us when you registered. Then press Log in.
Your personal teacher page will include this list:
Select “Add another class” which will take you to this page:
Create a class name (for teacher use only), select the grade level, and create a password (for student use).
Once submitted, the class information will appear on your teacher page like in this example:
The system will automatically generate the class ID number.
Take note of the class ID and the class password.
You will need to give these to your students so they can access the online questionnaire at the Students page.
Repeat the registration process for each participating class.
2. Prepare your class and complete the survey
Arrange Internet access
Your students will each need approximately 15 minutes of Internet access time to complete the online questionnaire. They can do it all at once in a computer lab, or one after the other on the same computer.
Any modern web page should allow your students to properly access the online questionnaire.
If computer access is difficult in your school, you might consider asking students to complete the survey at home as homework. Or you could do the class survey by hand without contributing to the national data. Print out the survey questions, have students complete them by hand, then tabulate the responses and create the spreadsheet of results yourself.
Review and try the questionnaire
Review the appropriate survey questions for your class (grades 4 to 8 or grades 9 to 12). A printable version is available in Acrobat (PDF) format. You can also test the online questionnaire yourself.
Have students take measurements
Before completing the survey, students will have to collect and record various body measurements. At the Survey questions page, we offer a guide to taking measurements as well as some printable tools measuring strips and worksheets.
Most students really enjoy measuring themselves and this activity increases their body-awareness as well as their measurement skills.
Talk about it!
Discuss security on the Web
Have the class discuss Internet safety rules about giving personal information online. Refer to your own school’s Internet use policy.
If your school does not have such a policy, consult the Media Smarts website. It offers many resources.
Explain that many websites have privacy policies and review the privacy statement offered on this site.
Have students respond online
Students are now ready to use the computers.
Give the students their class ID and class password. (These are displayed on your personal teacher’s page after you register your class.)
Direct them to the Students button on the menu to access the online questionnaire.
Students should have no difficulty understanding the questions, which have all been previously field-tested with young people. Help any students who require assistance or clarification.
Once all your students have completed the survey, please change the class password so that no more data can be added.
3. Get results immediately
Get class results
Go to Teachers, then sign in and enter your teacher password and e-mail address. On your personal teacher’s page, find the class information and click on Download results.
You can download the results as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
If you are using spreadsheet software other than Excel, click on Delimited text. The comma delimited format (CSV) is a generic one that can be downloaded into any spreadsheet program.
Click Download to start the download of your class results.
Obtain Canadian and international results
Canadian results are collected throughout the school year, then summarized and posted on the website during the summer months. Access Canadian summary tables from last year’s survey by clicking on Data and results on the sidebar.
We also add the Canadian results to the international databases maintained on the U.K. Census at School site. From Data and results, link to the international random data selector. Follow its directions to request a random sample of survey responses from participating countries.
Use the learning activities
Check out ideas for lessons under Learning activities on the sidebar. These ready-to-use activities designed by Canadian teachers help students graph and analyse their own survey data and compare them with national and international results.
The lessons are sorted into elementary and secondary levels and according to math concepts.
